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PLT-Ohio is a comprehensive environmental education program that strives to deliver all aspects of the award-winning international Project Learning Tree.
PLT helps educators with balanced non-biased learning experiences for PreK through 12th grades that encompass the total environment - land, air, water, plants and animals (including humans).
Since 1980, PLT-Ohio has provided workshops to more than 20,000 educators. Originally managed in Ohio by the State Department of Education, PLT-Ohio is now a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization managed by a board composed of educators and natural resources professionals, under the sponsorship of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry.
New State Education Standards & PLT
Many educators have been involved in the development process to create valid, usable documents for those who are using or looking to integrate Project Learning Tree activities into learning experiences.
The Benefits
Children
- Develop skills in creative problem solving, critical thinking, evaluation, research, and decision making.
- Begin to make wise personal decisions about everyday matters that affect the environment
- Learn how to think, not what to think, about our complex environment.
Teachers and Other Leaders
- Participate in creative, hands-on workshops that help improve their teaching skills.
- Receive a ready-to-use PLT guide(s) which actively involves students in the learning process. Correlated to the State of Ohio Ohio's Academic Service Standards and, align also to the state Social Studies, English/Language Arts and Teachers Standards. Correlation to National Science and Social Studies standards available.
- Find that PLT activities work with a variety of teaching and learning styles.
- Receive periodical, the BRANCH, updates filled with additional teaching ideas, activities, and information.
- Receive support from the Ohio PLT and national network.
- Are able to participate in special advanced PLT workshops on a variety of themes.
- Annual Greenworks Grant Opportunity, for community-action projects that involve a PLT participant, youth and local partner groups. Amounts vary ($200 - $2000) and more information is available through the National PLT office.
The PLT Story
Nationwide, PLT is a program of the American Forest Foundation (AFF), a non-profit organization that works for healthy forests, quality environmental education and informed decision making about our communities and our world. Classroom teachers and other educators, resource agency personnel, representatives of private conservation groups and forest company representatives developed PLT. The AFF continues to update and develop new PLT materials keeping abreast of current issues in education and our environment.
PLT has reached more than 100,000 educators and more than 20 million students in all 50 states and several foreign countries since it was field tested and revised by classroom teachers in 1977, and again in 1994 and again in 2006. Research and field surveys show PLT to be an effective teaching tool.
In Ohio, Project Learning Tree began in 1980! It has been enthusiastically received by teachers and youth leaders. More than 300 people are currently certified as volunteer workshop leaders and more than 15,000 teachers and youth group leaders have attended a local workshop to learn about using the activities with young people. A strong state board committee, made up of education and resource professionals, is responsible for financing and operating the Ohio PLT program.
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